Periodically cleaning out leaves, twigs and other debris that normally accumulate in gutters is typically a maintenance nuisance. For owners and occupiers of one, two and other multiple-family dwellings, this chore usually involves climbing up a ladder and manually removing such debris along the entire lenths of the gutters. Such an exercise involves risk and can even be dangeous. The accidents from falls off of ladders in attempts to complete this cleaning chore can result in sprains, broken limbs and other disabling injuries that are well documented in yearly statistics.
While placing protective screens over the open-topped gutters has reduced the frequency of such maintenance, it has not eliminated it nor the need to climb up a ladder and manually clean out the gutters. These protective screens are generally of large mesh size which eventually admit small or broken leaves, small twigs and other debris. Cleaning gutters equipped with such screens tends to increase the maintenance hazard as then, in addition to manually cleaning out the gutter, the protective screen has to be removed and then re-placed. This often requires several more trips up and down a ladder.